Michèle Bernstein wrote a Situationist trash novel. She did it, so she said, to give the S.I. financial support, and as a joke. If I had to make a choice, I would prefer this piece of writing over almost any other book, let alone theoretical writings of the S.I. Where the other Situationist writings are dry, pathos-laden and ridiculously unaware of their own overstatement, this novel has all the fresh ideas but adds an ill sense of humour, valorizing the trope of the bohèmian Parisian Libertine in as much as she satirizes it (apparently it was heavily influenced by Laclos' Liaisons Dangereuses, which had just been turned into a movie for the first time). In the best sense possible Michèle is Anti- de Beauvoir. Her characters are in no way rigid or fierce. No depressed clinging to the great idea, no clenched teeth. Although the plot is not unlike "She Came to Stay", which is a gruelling story about the failure of progressive ideas and repressed conventionality behind the veil of liberation, Bernstein's characters have no pretensions, and if they do they can be sure to be speared by her wits. For sure this book is also great for the way it has been translated. The Bernadette Corporation adopted this work of fiction as a structure around which they base their own activities as a highly reflective, super-contemporary artist collective in New York City. Their translation from French into English is almost naturally also a translation from the 1950's to the 2000's, barring the fact that we would have a lot of catching up to do if we wanted to be ahead of Michèle in 1958, anyway.

From the facebook-profile of the group "'Contractors' in Iraq ARE Mercenaries!":

"FOR CLARIFICATION PURPOSES.
THIS GROUP IS PRO-CONTRACTOR.
WE CONVINCED THE KID THAT USED TO RUN IT TO GIVE IT TO GLEN AND I (ROB) BECAUSE THE GROUP HAD BECOME ALMOST 99% PRO CONTRACTOR. SORRY ABOUT THE NAME, BUT WE CANNOT CHANGE IT.
P.S.- DONT VOTE HILLARY '08. HA HA.

Glen and Rob have taken control of the group. We support the efforts of our contractors and understand that there has been a place for these men since the beginning of warfare. The main difference between the Contractors of today, and the Mercenaries of the past is that most contractors are guided to through their emplyoment by concience. They will not accept bids to do work for immoral reason. They serve the interests of democratic nations.

Blackwater, AEGIS (Executive Outcomes), Dyncorp, and MPRI are just some of the organizations known as "private security contractors" or "Private Military Corporations (PMCs) ". They are the new target of some members the liberal left and others who are uninformed about the key role that these companies play.

These men are called "mercenaries" in a very condescending way. It is suggested that these men are untrained, unproffesional, and merciless. Anyone who has that opinion has seen "Iraq for Sale" WAY to many times.

These men were once the best that the US military had to offer. Now they are the best the US military can hire. They come from a variety of backgrounds: (...)"

I get so bored sitting around in city-sandboxes digging the sand, hearing the other parents say "no kilian, don't hit the little girl on the head with the showel" if it wasn't for the little girl being pretty good company after all i would have turned into a sour plum. today i went to UN Plaza only to stand in the doorway of the crowded room where they were screening the videos with a toddler on my arm that went "blblbldada" which isn't the stupidest thing that anyone has said about video art but people where turning around at us so i figured i would leave and when they started analysing the films mila got bored anyway so we left. i like the area around UN Plaza. The houses are sky high and the windows are reduced to dots in a grid. I've always found the thought that each of those dots represents a room with a person in it comforting not disturbing.